Scientists develop bacteria that needs caffeine to survive and reproduce

Scientists at the University of Texas and the University of Iowa have created a synthetic bacteria that grows thanks to one of humankind's favorite stimulants — caffeine. According to a report from Quartz, this bacteria can be added to any caffeinated beverage and it'll grow according to the levels of caffeine in the drink. Eventually, you'll end up with an entirely decaffeinated beverage and you can use the level of growth to determine how much caffeine was there in the first place. The scientists behind this experiment were able to use the bacteria to determine the caffeine content of Red Bull and Monster energy drinks as well as a Starbucks espresso and a Diet Coke — the results all fell within the range reported by the manufacturers.